ICS Daily Devotions
God Is With You
Ephesians 3:16. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.
The Inner man that the Apostle Paul was referring to is not our mind, not our intellect or our emotions. The inner man, the inward man, the spirit man or the heart are words that are interchangeable in the Bible. It is important for us to know how we can be strengthened in the inner man by the power of the Holy Spirit because we will need it in time of crisis.
Any challenges in life will drain us emotionally because we are too used to facing it with our soul. Our soul which comprises of our intellect and our feelings will be in turmoil and we will not experience peace and joy. This is when we are depending on our own strength. Hence, we need to learn to face crisis with the strength that comes from the inner man.
What really sustains us will be the strength that comes from the inner man because we can be stressed out whenever we encounter a trial, do something or believe God for something. The term “strengthened” refers to an intense energy being released on the inside of us! It is referring to the power of the resurrection, the power that raised Christ from the dead and the power of God that lives on the inside of us.
There is a divine strength and grace that will strengthen and sustain us. This grace and strength is found through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Our identity is in the inner man because that is the eternal being while the outward man wears out from day to day. Very often, we react to a certain situation based on what we hear, what we see and how we feel. During this kind of situation, we can either react in the flesh or allow the inner man, the spirit man or heart to take control of our lives or the way we react to the situation.
There are time and seasons in our lives just like there is seed time, harvest time, winter, summer, spring and autumn. Therefore we need to acknowledge it and walk in it. There will be a time when we are a home maker to ensure that our children are brought up according to the ways of the Lord. There will come a time when the Lord will release us back to work or ministry, therefore we need to be wise to discern, yield and walk in the time and season of God and not struggle.
Not everyone has a pioneering spirit neither does everyone like new challenges every 3-5 years. Some of us like stability, security and live in a very controlled environment. There is a lot stress involved whenever we relocate to another city across the world for a job placement or relocating back home. We have to deal with uncertainties that lie ahead because we are unfamiliar with the culture and there is no immediate support to settle in. When we finally seem to settle into the new environment which can take six months to a year to build new relationships, we might be asked to move again in two years. Thus, you are reluctant to move or relocate.
The greatest stress may not actually be posting to another country but to be asked to relocate back to your home country. You may have worked in the corporate world and now your peers have been promoted in the law firm, accounting firm, or the HR department that you used to work in. Your home cell group members have grown close while you are away and the church leadership have changed. You have lost your experience, your confidence is jolted and the devil is saying that you are “finished” and that you have to start all over again.
Do not be discouraged! If God has called you to return home or move to a new country, you can be assured that He will give you the grace to do it well! It is a journey to experience God.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Trust in God that if that is His will, He will surely bring you through this journey. He says, “Fear not, my child. I am with you.” Be secure in Him and seek Him in all circumstances. He is always with you and would never abandon you!
Sermon series: Inner Man
